Type securing device



Oct. 1, 1940. KNIGHT 2,216,293

TYPE SECURING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1939 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IH H 17H T v 6 Z 15b I K 5 6 I I 4 kfi 5 10 l J IANVENTOR. fikrberZifigg/ZZ ATTORNEY5.

Oct. 1, 1940. H. A. KNIGHT TYPE SECURING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 091;. 4, 1939 INVENTOR. flerberZ ATTORNEYfi Patented Oct. 1, 1940 1 UNITED STATES TYPE SECURING DEVICE Herbert A. Knight, Oak Park, 111., assignor to J. M. Bundscho, Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application October 4, 1939, Serial No. 297,919

11 Claims.

This invention relates to typographical equipment and particularly to means for holding a body of set type, or similar composite form of printing elements, in proper assembly and rela- 5 tionship for various uses such as handling, transportation, proofing, preparation for electrotypes, mats, presses, stereotypes, etc.

For purpose of brevity and convenience I shall use the word type herein to indicate or designate any and all of the different kinds of elements constituting or used for forming printing surfaces, including those'which carry a plurality of characters, such as type bars, cuts, engravings, plates, logotypes, and the like, as well as those which carry letters or printing characters Another object is the provision of such a device which is adaptable to any of different sizes of forms, which may be manipulated with speed and facility, which renders it possible to bind the entire form and all of its component elements very securely and immovably in a chase, yet may be employed as a tie-up to hold the elements in proper relationship while permitting selected ones to be removed andreplaced in the making of corrections, justifying, etc., and which greatly 35, reduces the opportunity for pics, misplacements, and the like, incident to the normal handling of the form.

Another object is the provision of a device which facilitates the production of an accurately squared form and an accurately justified form and likewise clear and accurately margined proofs and which effects a substantial saving in time in the operations of locking up and making ready for electrotyping, and which eliminates much of the opportunity for errors and pi incident to locking up.

' Yet another object is the provision of a device having the advantages mentioned above and which is of assistance in obtaining sharp and complete margins on the wax case or matrix in the electrotyping process. .Still another object is the provision of such a device which is adapted to be used with other standard typographical and electroplating equipment. I

Yet another object is the provision of a device having the characteristics indicated above and which may be economical in cost and practically indestructible or very durable under normal use.

Other and further objects of the invention will be pointed out or indicated hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the invention or its employment in actual practice. 7

For the purpose of aiding in an explanation of the invention, I show in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and hereinafter describe, certain kinds of devices representing embodiments of it. It is to be understood, however, that these are presented merely 3" by way of example and hence are not to be construed in any fashion for the purpose of limiting the appended claims short of the true and most comprehensive scope of the invention in the art.

In said drawings, 2&

Fig. l is a top view of a form made up and mounted in a chase, as prepared for use in electrotyping, same embodying a type securing device in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the form shown in 25. Fig. 1, the section being taken on approximately line 22of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of four tie-up strips arranged in quadrilateral relationship for the purpose of securing a form in accordance with my 30;; invention;

.Fig. 4 is a detail illustrating one arrangement of connecting elements for connecting the tie-up strips, same being on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one end of a tie- 35; up strip showing a connecting element of one kind;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the other end of the same tie-sup strip and having the complementary connecting element;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of an end of a tieup strip showing a connecting element of another i type;

Fig.8 is a top view of a corner connectio showing such connecting element in engagement 5*: with a complementary connecting element; and i Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a bearer strip.

In the art of typographical composition, the form for a page or similar composite unit is made up by assembling or setting a plurality of print- 50;

ments each may carry a plurality of printing characters, pictures, or the like. In the process 55 of composition it is usually desirable to take one or more proofs from the form in order to see that the composition is correct in all particulars, and it may be necessary to make corrections by removal and substitution or re-arrangement of certain of the elements. For such operations, it is desirable that the elements be retained in the proper relationship, but at the same time be susceptible of removal and substitution with facility. When the form has been properly verified and approved, it is desirable that all of its component elements be very securely locked in place, either for the operation of printing directly from the form, or for use of it in the making of electrotypes or other printing units from it. The present invention provides a device of very simple and durable character which greatly facilitates all of these operations as well as the handling of the form for printing purposes and which reduces the possibility of accident or disarrangement of or injury to the form elements.

The nature of the invention will be ascertained most readily from a description of the illustrative embodiments shown in the drawings. It comprises, in the first place, a plurality of elements which I will refer to as tie-up strips, certain forms of which are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive. These are stiff bars l0, rectangular in cross section and very accurately shaped and dimensioned. They may be made of a suitable stiff steel. They may be made of selected lengths appropriate for the various sizes of forms customarily used, and are of a height h considerably less than standard type. At their ends they are provided with con- ,necting elements which are of character such that four of the strips may be fastened to one another to form a quadrilateral frame such as illustrated in Fig. 3.

These connecting elements are of a character such as to allow a limited amount of play between the connected strips, so that the oppositely disposed ones may be moved short distances toward and from each other. One sort of connecting elements is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Each bar is provided at one end with a key element 1 l, and at the other end with a socket element l2 adapted to receive such a key element of another strip placed in position approximately at right angles. The socket element has a constricted throat opening Ma and the key element has a constricted neck portion Ha, adapted to slide therein with a clearance, and a larger head portion Nb, of cylindrical or cylindroid form, which cannot be withdrawn through the throat slot l2a. However, the size of the socket element including its throat slot 120/. is adaquate to permit the key element to have play therein in diiferent directions, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and this play may be sufficient to permit the outer side Ina of a strip to be moved to a limited extent beyond the end portion 10b of the adjacent connected strip.

The connecting elements may be of various other forms. In Figs. 7 and 8 they are shown as of trapeziform in cross sectional contour.

For the purpose of tying up for proof taking, laying by, or the like, the form is framed by four strips which are selected as to length so as to approximate the size of the form and are connected at their ends in quadrilateral relationship as above described. Then the form is bound or wedged in this frame, with sufficient security, by pressing in leads or slugs between the marginal type and the strips. Thus the form may be held with sufficient security for handling on galleys,

taking of proofs, making of corrections, justifying, and similar manipulations.

For the purpose of securely locking the form in a chase and for the purpose of properly equipping it for use in electrotyping or similar processes, I provide, for cooperation with the tie-up strips, a plurality of bearer strips l5 of a sort illustrated in Fig. 9. These are provided in various lengths corresponding generally to lengths of the various tie-up strips and their overall height H is exactly the same as that of standard type. These are quite rigid bars, of steel or similarly strong material, and are accurately formed in L-shaped rectangular cross section, with a riser leg Mia and overhanging leg [51) so dimensioned that the under surface of the overhanging leg will rest upon the upper surface of one of the tie-up strips placed thereunder with both tie-up strip and the bearer strip resting on a plane surface. The width of the overhanging leg is slightly less than the width of the tie-up strip so that the latter will project slightly beyond it when in abutment with the inner surface of the riser leg. This relationship of these parts is illustrated in Fig. 2.

For securing a form in a chase, the form being encompassed by a frame of connected tie-up strips as above described, four bearer strips are applied to the tie-up strips in the relationship illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be observed that in this relationship each bearer strip has one of its ends in abutting relationship to a side of one of the adjacent bearer strips and its other end portion in lateral abutment with an end of the other adjacent bearer strip. By such arrangement, each bearer strip is free to slide longitudinally past the end of one of the adjacent bearer strips, so that the frame may be contracted or compressed both longitudinally and transversely of the form. It will be observed also that the tieup strips Ill serve to space the type T from the inner margins of the overhanging bearer strip legs 15b and that the upper surfaces of the bearer strips are type-high. The form thus assembled may be mounted in an appropriate chase IS in any suitable fashion, as by means of furniture I! and quoins [8 which are operable to exert wedging pressure against adjacent bearer strips.

Due to the fact that the connections between the tie-up strips permit those at opposite sides of the form to be moved toward each other and those at opposite ends of the form to be moved toward each other, and the further fact that cooperative arrangement of the bearer strips with the tie-up strips and with each other permits similar approaching movement of those which are opposite each other, the Wedging pressure effected through the quoins or other appropriate clamping means may be transmitted to the component type elements of the form in both transverse and longitudinal directions of the latter, so that all the type elements may be very securely locked or clamped in place. The stiif tie-up members and rigid bearer strips function eiTectively to maintain and secure the form in proper rectangular shape, and at the same time maintain a proper spacing between the marginal type elements and the legs Nib of the bearer strips.

Accordingly, with the form thus secured, it is in condition to be handled with safety and used for such operations as electrotyping. In accordance with the conventional electrotyping procedure, the form is mounted in a press and the type faces and bearer strips are pressed against a suitably prepared blank of plastic material, such as wax, so as to form a mould or matrix, sometimes referred to as a wax case, in the nature of an intaglio impression of the entire printing form. A heavy metallic plating is deposited electrolitically in this matrix, thus forming an integral replica of the printing surface of the form, which, when backed up with a suitable material such as lead or type metal, to give it the necessary rigidity, is mounted on a block to form the completed electrotype from which the printing is to be done.

In the forming of the wax case or mould, when my device is used, the upper portions of the bearer strips P5 are pressed into the plastic blank tothe same depth as are the surfaces of the type, and by virtue of the fact that the frame formed by the bearer strips encompasses the entire type form but is spaced from the marginal type by the tie-up strips ID, the wax is held against sloughing or spreading laterally away from the type, under the squeezing pressure, and there is formed in the wax mould a definite border flange of appreciable depth, conforming to the spaces F, to define the margins of the impression made by the type form. This is for the purpose of insuring that the intaglio impression shall be complete and sharp along all of the margins.

For the purpose of facilitating the trimming of the mould or wax case, after the form has been lifted out of it, I may provide narrow longitudinal grooves I50 in the upper surfaces of the bearer strips and parallel with their inner margins. In such case, narrow ridges would be formed in these grooves I50, extending parallel with the margins of the mould impression to which they 'are adjacent, and constituting convenient guides along which the wax may be cut to trim and square up the wax case.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that in addition to affording the several advantages pointed out above, my device makes possible the saving of considerable time in the preparation of forms for electrotypes or the like, inasmuch as the tie-up strips may be quickly applied in the first instance and, under ordinary circumstances, need not be removed at any time thereafter until the form has served its purpose and it is desired to redistribute the type. Corrections, justification, proofs, etc. may be made without removing the tie-up strips, and after final approval the tie-up frame is still retained on the form and employed in cooperation with the bearer strips to accomplish the locking up of the form and the production of a sharp margined wax case or mould in the electrotyping process. It is contemplated, of course, that a typographical plant will be equipped with the tie-up strips and border strips of various lengths suitable for forms of different dimensions.

I claim:

1. A typographical device comprising a plurality of rigid frame strips arranged to form a quadrilateral frame adapted to surround a type form and connected to one another at the corners of said frame by connecting members which allow oppositely disposed strips to move toward and from each other for a limited distance, and a plurality of rigid bearer strips associated with the frame strips and abutting their outer sides and overlapping their upper margins, said bearer strips being arranged to form a quadrilateral border surrounding the frame strips with oppositely disposed bearer strips movable toward each other to constrict the frame.

2. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and wherein the frame strips are less than typehigh and the bearer strips are type-high.

3. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and wherein the bearer strips overlap the upper margins of the frame strips for a portion but not all of the width of said margins so as to leave a space between the inner margins of the bearer strips and the margins of a type form in contact with the inner sides of the frame strips.

4. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and wherein the bearer strips are provided in their upper faces with grooves extending parallel with their inner margins.

5. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and wherein the bearer strips have each a riser leg adapted to abut the outer side of a frame strip and an overhanging leg adapted to rest on top of ,the frame strip when the bottom margins of the frame and bearer strips are in the same horizontal plane.

6. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and wherein the said connecting members are formed on the frame strips themselves.

'7. A typographical device as specified in claim 1 and including means for clamping the border and frame members against the type form in rectangular framing relationship.

8. In a typographical device of the sort described, a frame strip consisting of a rigid bar formed with connecting members at its ends whereby it may be shiftably connected with others of its kind in angular relationship to frame a type form, and a bearer strip comprising a rigid bar having a riser leg adapted to abut the outer side of the frame strip and an overhanging leg adapted to rest on top of the frame stripwhen the lower margins of said strips are both in the same horizontal plane.

9. In a typographical device, a combination as specified in claim 8 and wherein the bearer strip is type-high.

10. In a typographical device, a combination as specified in claim 8 and wherein the overhanging leg of the bearer strip is of width to extend only part way across the upper margin of the frame strip.

11. In a typographical device, a combination as specified in claim 8 and wherein the bearer strip is type-high and its overhanging leg is of width to extend only part way across the frame strip.

HERBERT A. KNIGHT. 

